In marine internal combustion engines, such as inboard marine engines, cooling systems use raw water drawn from the ambient body of water on which the boat operates. The boat may be operated in fresh or salt water. Regardless of whether the boat is operated in fresh or salt water, the raw water from the ocean, lake or river may carry sand, sediment, algae, minerals and other debris into the cooling system which may obstruct the flow of the cooling liquid and/or build deposits in the engine's cooling system.
After running an inboard marine engine in salt water, it is desirable to remove the salt and other debris from the cooling system. The engine's cooling system may be kept free of such debris by regularly and properly flushing the cooling system with fresh water to remove any salt residue. Such flushing maintains the operation of the marine engine and ensures safe operation of the marine engine. U.S. Pat. No. 7,025,643 discloses one such flushing system. One drawback of known flush kits for use with marine engines is that they require numerous fittings, clamps and bulky components. Therefore, a flush kit for use in a marine engine which is incorporated into a strainer would be desirable.
In addition, inboard marine engines need to be winterized to prevent damage during the winter. Therefore, the water in the cooling system must be drained or flushed. A need for a flush kit which enables water to be drained from the engine would be desirable.